A lawsuit blaming Prescott's former mayor for the firing of a Yavapai Humane Society employee is underway in federal court in Phoenix.
The Daily Courier reports that testimony in the case began Tuesday, pitting former Yavapai Humane Society Marketing Director KayAnne Riley against the city and then-mayor Marlin Kuykendall.
Riley contends that Kuykendall violated her constitutional right to free speech by contacting Humane Society officials and threatening to end the city's contract with the Humane Society because of her involvement in an employment protest involving the city.
The city contends there's no evidence that Kuykendall interfered with Riley's employment.
The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages suffered after Riley lost her $40,000-per-year humane society job in 2011 and then spent months in a job search.
